Rape and Journalism Don't Mix

(Word Count: 677 Words)

A question that surrounds many journalists is one that asks, “Should people’s personal information be released to the rest of society?” And if so, what is considered to be too personal? When it comes to the horrible issue of rape, it is illegal for journalists in the United States to release the name of the victim without consent from the victim. However, it is necessary for journalists to release the name of the rapist in the case. Do you think it should be society’s right to know who the victim is? And also, do you think knowing the rapist’s name is helpful to society? There of course are many viewpoints on this topic and in this short blog I will explain what I believe is important to society.
First of all, as journalist, there are a few things you must be careful with when writing. A short piece titled “Women’s Studies in Communication” described a few things a journalist must be aware of and pay attention to. “(1) Story selection that reflects the types of crimes that occur (i.e., attention to assaults perpetrated by acquaintances), (2) avoidance of sexist stereotypes that either blame the victim or mitigate
suspect responsibility, (3) attention to the role of social structures such as law, gender, race, and class in causing and normalizing gender violence, and (4) the inclusion of perspectives of victims and/or their advocates.” These of course are things that a young journalist must really be careful with when writing.
When it comes to whether or not society should be told the name of the victim and/or the rapist’s name, I believe that it is important for society to know the rapist’s name and I think it is also necessary to see the face of the rapist. I think that it is important to society because it allows people to stay away from a person like them and also to thoroughly explain the rapist’s punishments. By explaining the rapist’s punishments, it shows society the penalty for the huge mistake that the rapist carried out. However, when it comes to the victim, I believe that the victim’s name should not be released publicly because it could hurt them mentally even more than it did by the rape itself. It could put them in an even harder shell than the victim was previously going to face just from the rape itself. A quote from a victim written by “Women’s Studies in Communication” shows how a rape me affect a person very harshly, “It was horrific, what he did. He struck me in the head, which knocked me o u t . . . I was terrified that I was going to die during the whole incident. I was glad to be alive. I just felt so dirty, so disgusting. I just wanted to scrub my skin off.” Incidents like these will never be erased from a person‘s memory. If the media blew up the whole story with the victim’s name in it, the victim would have to replay the incident over and over again. However, if the victim felt that by releasing the information publicly could help society in some shape, way, or form, then I believe it could be very beneficial.
In conclusion, releasing personal information to the public is a complex debate that seems to not have a “clear-cut” answer, especially when it comes to a “rough-around-the-edges” type of topic like rape. I do believe however, that it is important for society to know certain things about issues but there has to be a line drawn. Where we currently sit, the line may be a little loose and could use some tightening up but as we go onward in time I believe we will find a solid line to base all journalism decisions off of.


Work Cited
1. Worthington, N. (2008). Encoding and Decoding Rape News: How Progressive Reporting Inverts Textual Orientations. Women's Studies in Communication, 31(3), 344-367. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.



Jordan Swerid
January 15, 2009
CMJ 236